


That's Me

by celtprincess13



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 16:28:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15223130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celtprincess13/pseuds/celtprincess13
Summary: Danny's thoughts on the day of Claude's wedding to someone else





	That's Me

After a few moments of deliberation, Danny pulls his navy blue suit out of the closet. Standing in front of the mirror to do up his tie, he despairs at the crow's feet that bracket his eyes. He doesn't really feel old, except when he starts thinking about two of his three sons already gone from home and working toward playing hockey professionally. It seems like just yesterday he was trying to juggle their school schedules and hockey practice, both theirs and his own. Now the only hockey he's playing is in alumni games.

Thinking about the years following his divorce inevitably brings Claude to the forefront of his thoughts, though since he's dressing to attend Claude's wedding, it's not like they were ever far away. Claude was so young back then, barely seeming older than the boys. It was easy, too easy, to just think of him like another son at first. To ignore the signs of hero-worship and the obvious crush, to ignore the locker room jokes about being like an old married couple.

When the news came that Danny had been traded to the Habs, Claude had shown up on his doorstep. He'd been wild-eyed and angry, stomping around the kitchen and cursing the Flyers management. When his anger had burned out, he'd looked at Danny forlornly. Danny had moved to hug him and that gave Claude the opportunity to make the embrace more intimate. He'd kissed Danny senseless, right there next to the kitchen island.

Danny remembers pushing him away, finally, when the kissing progressed to groping. Claude had been so hurt and so angry, while Danny gently explained how it wasn't like that, couldn't be like that, ever. He'd thought about that day often in the ensuing years as he bounced around the last two cities of his career. Danny still thinks it was the right decision and he supposes Claude came to that realization as well. They're still friends, anyway.

Danny watched from afar as Claude found someone more appropriate to love than a man ten years his senior. He watched as they got closer, moving in together, getting sweet little dogs together, building an off-season home together. And if he sometimes felt jealous, well, he could set that aside. Claude was such a good man, he deserved all the happiness he could find.

Danny had gotten wrapped up in the intricacies of working in the front office of a hockey team, rather than on the ice. He'd talked to Claude, here and there, but travelling back and forth to Maine had taken up a lot of his time. His stomach had clenched in shock the day he opened the heavy cream-colored envelope and read the words _'Claude Dari Giroux and Ryanne Hailey Breton along with their parents cordially invite…'_

Today was the day. It was happening and there would be no stopping it, no second chances at what might have been. Danny would go to this wedding and he'd be thrilled for his friend. And if, in his secret heart of hearts, he wished it was his own wedding to Claude, well, he could keep than information to himself.

 

_There's a man in the chapel, in the back row by himself_  
That's me, that's me  
And the man at the altar says 'I do' to someone else  
That's him, that's him  
As the wedding party leaves, throwing rice and wishing well,  
A single tear falls silently  
That's me, oh lord, that's me 

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, I don't even know where this came from.  
> As happy as I am for the real Claude & Ryanne, I just had to slide a little angst in there for Danny.  
> This fic obviously assumes there's no Misha in the picture.  
> Title/End lyrics from "That's Me" by Martina McBride


End file.
